The intersection of Elkhorn and Moraine in Estes Park was under water Friday morning, September, 13, 2013

ESTES PARK, CO - Sept. 15: Sandbags are still piled at the front entrance to the Good Karma store on W. Elkhorn Ave. As a steady rain continues to fall, the town of Estes Park begins to clean up the flooded downtown streets and stores that are popular for visitors.

Hundreds of disoriented couples — already rife with wedding-related stress — were left scouring the Front Range for a dry, accessible place to say “I do” after their plans were dashed or confused by Colorado’s epic floods.

The couples and their families face logistical and financial dilemmas, as venues in idyllic mountain destinations are difficult to secure and contractual clauses could result in the loss of thousands of dollars.

As for the hoteliers, they face a potential nightmare, as some are seeing expensive damage to personal and business properties, thwarting their plans, as well.

But Nichols and Wylie’s dreams slowly began to crumble with each new report of more roads washing out. When their wedding location of Estes Park was officially closed off to the outside world, the couple started scrambling.

“The (reception venue) was telling us to hold off and that they’d be open by our wedding, but we were told by the police department that the road would be closed indefinitely and not likely open by our wedding date of Oct. 5,” Nichols said. “So, we started looking around for venues that haven’t been booked.”

Because of Act of God clauses in many contracts, the couples have only a few options: swallow their security deposits of several thousand dollars and set out on their own quest to find a new location, stick to their original plan and try to work through the post-flood complications or work with their contracted venue to find an alternative location if the original site is flood-damaged.

“The biggest thing that has been frustrating for us and for the couples is that venues aren’t letting them out of their contract because they don’t know what is going to happen and they don’t want to lose the money,” said Sarah Roshan, founder of the Facebook page “Save My Colorado Wedding,” a group of volunteers from the wedding industry helping couples impacted by the floods find new venues through the end of October.

Roshan — who is working with about 100 distressed brides — said at least one wedding, which had already fully committed to its Estes Park venue, traversed into the rain-drenched town last Saturday with the National Guard escorting in the guests.

While Colorado 7 into Estes Park reopened to the public Wednesday morning, its opening may have come too late for Nichols and Wylie — and undoubtedly others — who had to make a decision based on varying reports.

Nichols and Wylie say their calls to Crags Lodge in Estes Park went unreturned for days. They now say the venue is refusing to refund their $2,500 deposit.

“We have already made several refunds to people. We are working with them all on individual, case-by-case basis,” said Aaron Kadlecek, partner at the venue.

Kerri Butler and her wedding planning firm A Touch of Bliss has six client weddings planned for Saturday. While trying to keep her clients happy, she also is sympathetic to the venue operators, some of whom she says have lost their personal homes and one who is even working from a shelter.

“It’s really chaotic, and it’s really unfortunate. We understand both sides of the story,” Butler said. “Legally (the venues) don’t have to release them from their contract because most have an Act of God clause. There’s a lot of sad drama, but it all really depends on the couples’ personalities.”

Event insurance can be purchased for $200 to $400, Butler said, “But we rarely recommend this in Colorado because this sort of thing never happens. I mean, roads are being washed out. Who would’ve thought!”

Both Butler and Roshan say that while there are many stories of frustration, there are as many, if not more, stories of kindness from venue owners and families coming together to help.

Sally Walker’s wedding is scheduled for next weekend, despite the fact that she had to evacuate her home in Boulder and their outdoor ceremony site is now a muddy, washed-out slip-and-slide.

“I am kind of in denial about all of this, but if it ends up at someone’s house,” Walker said, “at least I’m marrying the man of my dreams. It may not be my dream wedding, but it’s about counting your blessings.”

Kristen Leigh Painter was a former business reporter who focused on airlines and aerospace coverage. She joined The Post in September 2011 and departed for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in August 2014. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a master's in journalism after earning a bachelor's in history from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

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